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What I wish I would have known: Thailand Edition

What I wish I would have known before traveling to Thailand:

Traveling:

  1. 13 hour flights are longer than they seem. A lot longer. 
  2. If you think you are going to sleep on the plane, thing again. You will get some sleep, but it will be in like 30-60 minute increments. I even took two Tylenol pm pills, which usually knock me out, and I still didn’t sleep well. 
  3. Asian airlines will feed you, no matter how long your flight is. It is wonderful!!  Even an hour long flight will consist of serving you a full meal. Be prepared though, there is no pop on these shorter flights. It is water, orange juice (that taste like Sunny Delight), tea and coffee. 
  4. You will have more leg room on the Asian airlines. We flew both Bangkok Air and Korean Air. We had more leg room on the short 1 and 2 hour flights than we did on the 13 hour flight. I wish I could explain it to you. 
  5. The weight for your bags is lower.  Yep. It sucks. Your checked bags can only way 20 kg (. lbs). The kicker is, they may also weight your carry on too!!!  You are only allowed 7 kg for a checked bag (. lbs). That being said, I can honestly tell you that the airlines never checked our carry on weight, and THANK GOODNESS!!  When we left Chaing Mai, one of them weighed over 13 kg!  Opps!
  6. Don’t assume you get two free checked bags all the time. To get to Thailand, Hubby and I each got 2 free checked bags, for a total of 4 checked bags. We totally thought we would have no problem!  I checked with our travel agent before we left to confirm that we would still get 4 free checked bags when we take our pond hoppers between Bangkok and Chaing Mai and Chaing Mai and Phuket. We didn’t. We only got one each with the weight restrictions above. So we actually borrowed a fold up luggage bag from my parents and packed it in our checked bag. We figured we would use this for laundry once we got to our last stop, Phuket. 

The food:

  1. Don’t eat American food. It won’t taste the same and it isn’t worth it. We ate Thai food almost every meal we were in Bangkok and Chaing Mai, except for one lunch where we had McDonald’s because I was Jonzen for a Diet Coke.  Note: even McDonalds doesn’t taste the same. Hubby thought it was the buns lack of flavor, I thought it was the ketchup not having as much flavor. Also, they don’t have Diet Coke. I know, right?  My mouth dropped open too. It was Coca Cola or Coke zero. I don’t care what people say, Coke Zero is NOT a substitute for Diet Coke, or Coke Light, as the Thai call it. 
  2. You can get Diet Coke (coke light) and snack foods at the 7 Eleven. Yep, there is a 7 Eleven on every other block. I kid you not. In fact, Hubby really wanted to find a t shirt that had the 7 Eleven logo on it with Thailand or Chaing Mai on it. We couldn’t find one, but it would have been cool!
  3. Durian.  It stinks. Don’t let them tell you any different. While walking through the markets, Pin has us try some. It tastes like sulfur. We asked what they use it for or why they eat it!  Apparently they use it in soups and cooking. Hubby thinks it is all a trick to get tourists to eat it!  We did buy some dried durian to bring home for M, who wanted some to put in Kim’s lunch box as a prank. What M doesn’t realize is that I’m going to make him eat some first!!!
  4. The food can be spicy. I’m ok with a little spice, but not so much that it makes your eyes water and cleans it your sinuses. For some restaurants, that is a one pepper spicy. No joke. I then stated, hat would be the equivalent of a 2 or 3 pepper spicy. However, they will tailor the food if you tell them. 
  5. Try the street food. The best piece of advice on this we got from our Bangkok tour guide, Cathy.  You can eat the street food if you see them cook it in front of you. If it is pre made, don’t eat it!!!  Good advice. 
  6. They don’t drink a ton of pop. So if you have a Diet Coke addiction, like I do, be prepared that the cans are small, there are no refills, they don’t have ANY fountain pop, and you will pay at a restaurant around 50-80 or more Baht (so around or over two dollars) for a small can. 

What to bring (and not bring!)

  1. Bring a bunch of clothes and underwear!  I had read that the Thai people shower two or more times a day. It is legit. We were sweating so much we would shower at least twice a day, if not more. There is no Target to run and get more. (Target, you should totally fix this!!!). 
  2. Adapters and converters. We bought both before we left. We really didn’t need them, except that it allowed us to plug in a ton of stuff into one outlet, which came in handy. They are expensive though, so save your money for the fun stuff. 
  3. A go pro selfie stick with stabilizer. I SO wish we would have had one!  If you don’t have a go pro, you definitely want to get one. We saw so many people buying waterproof cases for their iPhones. Personally, I don’t trust them. Go Pro’s are really affordable, especially around Black Friday, and worth every cent. 

In general

  1. Be smart and trust your instincts. There are pickpockets EVERYWHERE!!!  
  2. You will be somewhat harassed as you walk down the street. Don’t take this the wrong way, it isn’t malicious. You will constantly have to tell tuk tuk drivers and red truck drivers that you don’t want a ride.  Hubby had to constantly tell people he didn’t want a new custom tailored suit. My favorite was when w me were walking down the street and after the 10th time he had been asked if he wants to buy a suit, he said, “I’ve never been catcalled so much in my life!”  I just looked at him and said, “ this is what it is like to be a woman!!!”  
  3. Do as much as you can. When in doubt, go to the temples, or the markets or just walk around. If you are like us, we probably will never come back. Get it in now. 
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John Gray Canoe Adventure, Phuket

View from the boat.

Our last full day excursion was with the John Gray Canoe company. Everyone touted it as this romantic boat ride with canoeing through caves and a romantic dinner cruise. It was totally not that, but was so much cooler. 

It was an hour drive to the harbor to catch this boat, but luckily it was a 10:20 am pick up!  When we got there, there is the usual let’s sell you stuff. FYI, look in the shop!  Hubby and I kicked ourselves for not buying the awesome John Gray shirt once we found out what the phrase meant!  (More on that later.)  we figured we would be able to stop once we got back from the boat trip and pick up a shirt or two. NOPE!  You get off the boat and straight into your transport van!

Hubby and I on the John Gray Eco Tour!!

I digress.  Once you get on the boat, you see the “canoe” and you wonder what you got yourself into!  Just breath, I promise it is going to be worth it. 

It takes a hour to get to the first island and the first cave. On the way there, they give you a “light lunch”. One thing about this excursion, the food is FABULOUS!!!  Hubby and I both decided it was the best food we are the entire trip, and it is all cooked on the boat for you. 

Once you get to the first island, you are introduced to your paddler, or Captain.  Our Captain was names Allen. He was Great!!!  Then they are going to tell you now to get into the canoe and how to lay down I t he canoe because some of the caves are really low. It was this discussion that made me wonder what the hell we just paid to get into!  

Let me tell you about these “canoes”.  They are not real canoes. They are flipping blow up lengths of plastic. They seriously remind me of the torpedoes that we would fly around the Minnesota lakes on behind a boat, without the big bump on top. I really wanted to just call the whole thing off and hang on the boat, but I sucked it up and went with it. I’m SO glad I did. The first cave to even get into you have to lay down. I was freaked for like two seconds and then I realized it was fine!  You only had to lay down for a minute, and then you are in one of the most beautiful lagoons. Once there, we saw an baby monitor lizard.  We kept an eye out, but didn’t see his mommy (thank goodness!  

Then it was a long paddle to the next cave, which is called Bat Cave. No, Batman wasn’t there, but the ceiling was covered in hundreds of bats. Let me tell you, I HATE BATS.  I once made hubby drive home when he was working late because there was a bat in our house. Thank goodness the kids were in bed asleep, because I shut myself up in our bedroom!  So to go, purposely, into a cave full of bats seems like the craziest thing to do.  But once you make it through the smelly, freaky cave, you come again to a beautiful lagoon. There we saw the owner of the company, John Gray. Allen then explained that he discovered all these lagoons and started the company to help preserve the environment. Allen then explained the front of their shirts, saying it  is a picture of John Gray, and under it is Thai for Big Monkey. Apparently that is his nickname. That is what sold the shirts for us!!!  

Also in the lagoon we saw the mudskipper fish. This fish can be out of the water by in essence holding it’s breath!  It was amazing to see this creature that Hubby and. I had only seen on National Geographic!  In that lagoon we also saw a family of long tail Macaw Monkey.  It was like being back on. Monkey Beach, but without anyone feeding the monkeys. 

After we left that lagoon it was back to the boat for a 10 minute trip to the next cave. This was by far the most popular cave and tons of other canoe companies were there. There though Allen showed us some soft sponge coral in the most beautiful colors, a bunch of rock crab, and then this huge pink Jellyfish. Allen explained that this jellyfish is one of the poisonous ones in Thailand. Hubby and I both looked at each other because when we were done with a that lagoon, it was free time to swim there!  We opted not to swim after seeing that jellyfish!  Instead, hubby took over paddling and paddled us to this beautiful beach. Not to be outdone, I paddled back. Let me tell you, that was totally my work out for the day!!

Finally it was back to the boat, where we cruised to our next destination.  While cruising, Allen helped us make our Karong. I joked that it was arts and crafts time, but Allen did a great job explaining what each part meant and showing us how to build it. (Ok, Allen did most of it, but don’t tell anyone!). 

Our guide, Allen
Our Karong

After making the Karong, it was dinner time. Again, the food was better than anything we had eaten yet. The soup (Tom Yum) alone is something we decided we would get again!  

Once dinner was over and we had our fill, it was back into the canoes to float our Karong. (For more information on Karong, check out the post here.)  Hubby and I made our wish and watched it float in the water. Then we saw the fish come and try to eat it!  Allen just laughed and said our wish much be going to come true then!  After letting it float for 5 minutes, we flew out the candle, and then saw the most beautiful bioluminescent plankton. Whenever the water was agitated, these white firefly like lights covered the water. Allen even got into the water and showed us how they cover his shirt and let us touch them. It was truly a magical experience. 

Then it was back to the boat for the hour long ride back to the pier and another hour long ride back to the hotel. By the time we made it back to the hotel it was 9:30 pm, and we were both exhausted and needing a shower!  It was a day I will never forget. 

So, if you get a chance, do a John Gray canoe tour!  Here are a few helpful hints I wished I knew before I went:

  1. You are going to get wet. Wear a swimming suit there. 
  2. Before you get on the canoe, take anything off you don’t want to get wet. I wore my shorts over my suit on the first canoe trip. They were still damp when we got back to the pier, and I had them hanging on the railing of the boat all day. 
  3. Bring dry clothes to change into. If you are like me, I really hate being in damp clothes all day. 
  4. If you think it is going to be a romantic dinner cruise, think again. U less your idea of romantic is sitting on a bench eating dinner around 60 other people!  The sunset was amazing though. 
  5. Bring your go pro. We were so glad we did, although we probably could have gotten away with using my iPhone since Allen said he has NEVER tipped the canoe. 
  6. You won’t be wearing shoes once you get on the boat. Hubby and I had both keens and tevas with us. It was totally pointless as you take them off and leave them on the boat. We put our shoes back on right before we got to the pier. 
  7. Go in without expectations and enjoy the ride. The people there are great and definitely have a fun time!

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Phi Phi Island Adventure

Our awesome guide, Boy with a map of the phi phi islands!

One of our favorite adventures was the Phi Phi Island Dream. It is an all day excursion that took us to three different beaches in the Phi Phi Islands. 

We started at 8:00 am, which is early when you are on vacation!  What is scarier is that they have the same excursion that starts at 6 am!  Now that is just crazy talk!!!  

Once we were picked up at our lobby, it was a 40 minute drive to the other side of Phuket to the Royal Marina. There we were given a specific colored bracelet depending on which excursion you were going on (we were team purple!). Once we donned our purple bracelet, it was to the lounge for food, drinks and so they could sell us stuff!  It was crazy how many people were buying the water shoes at 400 baht a pair (that is 12 US dollars). They make mint off that!  But honestly, they are needed in the coral and sharp rocks. (Hubby and I came prepared in our Teva’s which is what we have snorkeled in for years.)

Our first stop…

Then it was off to the speed boat!  Even in the speed boat, it took an hour to get to the first island. Then it was snorkeling in the lagoon. The snorkeling was AWESOME.  We saw a ton of fish and coral. I even caught a school of squid!  (Is it still a school if it is squid???)

Maya Beach…where is Leo???

Next was Maya Beach, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio in The Beach. The actual beach he filmed on was closed thanks to the tsunami a few years ago, but we went swimming in the lagoon where Leo swam. I have to say, I was a little disappointed when Leo was no where to be found…

Then it was odd to the Viking Caves, where workers are using down nests of these birds that make them from spit. Yep. Spit.  Apparently the Chinese and Thai use the nests for soup (bird nest soup anyone???) and medicine. 

Monkey Beach!!

Next was a stop to Monkey Beach. We didn’t get off the boat for this one, as I’m sure the monkeys wouldn’t have been happy, nor would I really want to swim with them!!!  It was really crazy to watch the monkeys jumping into the water for bananas!  

Next it was a short boat trip to the main island for lunch at a hotel. We ended up sitting with two guys from our trip, one from the UK who is in construction, and his friend, who is originally from New York, but is living in Singapore working for UPS!  We had a great conversation and then did a bit of shopping. 

Bamboo Island

After waiting on the boat for 30 minutes when a few people couldn’t handle being on time, we were off to Bamboo Island. There Hubby and I spent time snorkeling right off the beach and saw some amazing fish. The sea shells we found on that beach were HUGE!  It has been a long time since I had seen anything like it. 

Then it was back to the marina during low tide. When it gets low tide in Thailand, they mean LOW TIDE.  Our captain was fantastic though. 

This was definitely a trip worth taking. It was also insanely cheap. The entire day was a total of $120 US per person!  That included getting us there, all the water and POP you could drink in the boat, and lunch. It was totally worth it!!

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Old Chaing Mai and U Chaing Mai

The Sunset from the balcony at U Chaing Mai.

U Chaing Mai Hotel and Old Chaing Mai

When we got into Chaing Mai and were driving to our hotel, our tour guide, Pin, explained that the hotel, U Chaing Mai, was located in the middle of Old Chaing Mai. It was really easy to figure out when you were in Old Chaing Mai, as the original gates and corners were still there, along with the moat, yep, that’s right, there was a MOAT!!!  It was so cool looking!!!!

 

The wall surrounding Old Chaing Mai.

Pulling up to our hotel, it didn’t seem like a hotel, and you wouldn’t guess it from the front!  The lobby was all open air after you walk over a pond that was right next to the street. Through the open air lobby was the pool and all the rooms overlooked it.

Before we left, I was checking out the website for the U Chang Mai, and saw they had hotel rooms where your balcony of your room gave you private access to the pool. It was actually cheaper than the suite we had booked!  I tried to convince Hubby we should downgrade to that room, but he didn’t see the appeal…  if we go back sometime, I’m not taking no for an answer!

Our suite was on the 3rd floor and at the end. Not a big deal, u til you find out there is no elevator. The staff was tipped very well for dragging our bags up and down 3 flights of stairs!  The other bad part of being on the 3rd floor was after spending a day walking around Chaing Mai, you are exhausted. When you get back to the hotel, you still have here flights of stairs to walk up. That can be somewhat of a joy kill. 

My favorite breakfast in Chaing Mai…pink noodles!!

The food at the hotel was good. We had breakfast included, which was a small buffet of fruit, cereal and breads, along with a hot meal of a limited menu. My best piece of advice when traveling abroad, don’t order American food, u less you are at McDonald’s (and even that can taste different. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!!!). No matter how hard they try, it won’t taste right.  Example, one morning I decided to order an omelette with fried potatoes. How bad could an omelette be, right?  Let me tell you, it can be bad. I basically ate the potatoes. After that I would eat the pink stir fry noodles and Hubby would have either the Pink noodles or Thai Sausage and Jasmine rice. 

We ate dinner a few times at our hotel as well, when we were not in the mood to wander around town to find a place to eat, or one time when we did wander and didn’t find anything good. Their dinner menu was a little limited, but good. 

On the last full day we were there, I decided it was time for a massage. We got back to the hotel after wandering around 1:30 and I spoke to the front desk about booking a massage. I had one a half hour later!  It was AMAZING.  A 90 full body aromatherapy massage cost me approximately $40 US dollars. Hubby sat by the pool and read while I was relaxing. I was so glad I waited until the last day and after we were done walking around.  I kind of wished I would have done one more while we were there!!!  

A word on their WiFi, it sucks. This is no joke. We could get on, but half the time it was so slow it wouldn’t even load Facebook. It worked ok to jump on and see if we had any text messages about the kids, but other than that, good luck doing anything. 

All in all, this was a pretty good hotel. I would definitely stay here again, but on the 1st floor with pool access!!!  

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The markets of Chaing Mai

 

This Chinese market in Chaing Mai was HUGE!!!

 

 

Throughout our three day stay in Chiang Mai, we went to more markets that I think Hubby was ready for!  Honestly though, besides temples, really the only thing else to do in Chaing Mai was to shop!  

The first market we discovered after our temple excursion when we were walking to eat. Somphet Market was a very small market located about half a mile from our hotel. This was just a small food market, but was very cool. After this market we learned that even the alley ways were worth walking down and exploring, as that is how we found it. 

The next market we went to was with Our tour guide, Pin. Pin took us to the biggest market in Chaing Mai, and where she shops,  Tom Lam Yai Market. This market is in Chinatown (yep, there is a china towns everywhere!) And was HUGE!!!  It took up two or three city blocks and was inside and outside. It had EVERYTHING. Pin would walk around and have us try all these different kinds of food and of course all the Thai tea you can drink!!  Thank goodness she didn’t have us try the bamboo worms!!!

That night we also visited the Ploen Rudee Night Market. Holy smokes, that was nuts!  There were streets upon streets of booths selling things. A little secret about this market though, we kept seeing the same things for sale over and over and over again. This market was all about the food and live music. We wandered around until Hubby could tell we were being followed a little too close (pick pockets are crazy all over in these markets), so we decided to walk back to the hotel. 

The next day we were on our own, so we went back to Tom Lam Yai market to explore a little on our own. There we found counterfeit toys, and specifically fake legos!  We spent probably an hour looking through them!  It was crazy!!!  We also found some beautiful bowls and dishes made from the saffron tree. The wood looks like zebra wood, and was so beautiful! 

We also discovered the the other two or three floors of shops that we didn’t get to. 

Our final night in Chaing Mai, we ended up on the Walking Street, which is the Saturday Night Market. We thought the other market was crazy, this one was INSANE!!!!!  It started at the gates of old Chaing Mai, and went on for MILES!  We started around 6 pm and by the time 7:30 came around, there were SO MANY PEOPLE!  They were actually making announcements periodically to watch for pick pockets and also to not smoke, even though we were outside. This market actually had a lot of more the home made and hand crafted items as compared to the other night market, which was all mass produced, or so it seemed. 

The Walking Street

Unfortunately, we left on a Sunday, so we missed the Sunday night market hat was setting up right in front of our hotel as we were leaving for the airport. That would have been really crazy!!

All in all, we did a lot of shopping in Chaing Mai and a lot of walking. The Saturday we were on our own I logged over 22,000 steps!  They were well worth it though, and the experiences were a must do. 

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Tribal Villages and Orchid Farm

 

Our full day excursion started in the morning with a trip to the tribal villages in the foot hills around Chaing Mai. We toured the Hmong village, the Dara-Ang village, the Karen Long Ear Village and the Karen Long Neck village. It was crazy to see how they lived. 

We also saw the rice paddy and how they harvested the rice. Pin, our guide, took us for a little jaunt through the rice paddy so we could see the different stages!  It was crazy to see how they harvested the rice, which was a bit like harvesting wild rice, but also not so much…

Harvesting rice st the tribal villages.

In the Karen Long Neck Village, Pin explained that they came from Burma, but were displaced by the war there. They put the brass rings around their necks as it is their belief that the brass rings keep the tigers from attacking the women.  Not only do they have brass rings around their neck, but also around their knees. 

A tribal member from the Karen Long Neck Tribe.
Karen Long Neck Tribsl member and her baby.

After the villages, we went to an orchid and butterfly farm. The orchids were awesome!  There were so many of them!  Then we went into the butterfly farm. It was like in Costa Rica, but not as many butterflies. Unlike Costa Rica, there were a lot more varieties of butterflies to see. 

Hubby and I at the orchid farm.
Orchids!!
One of the butterflies at the orchid and butterfly farm.
I made a friend!!!!

After the orchid farm, Pin took us to see the biggest market in Chaing Mai (more on that in the market post!), followed by a boat ride down the Phang Kong River. The boat ride was very telling, as there was not really any wildlife at all. No ducks, not really even any birds around. There were a lot of people fishing, but they didn’t seem to be catching anything!!!  

The Chinatown market.
Dried shrimp, fish, crab and squid at the Chinatown market.

The River seemed so muddy, and red from pollution and iron in the soil. I asked Pin if people swam in this river and she looked at me like I was crazy and said no! 

Our cruise down the river.
One of the temples located on the bank of the river. 

I’m super glad we took the day long excursion. We saw things we would have never seen on our own. Having Pin was invaluable!  

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Thailand!!!!!!

yep, that’s right folks! Thailand! We had a ton of people as Hubby and I, “why Thailand?”  Our answer, “why not???”

Thailand has always been on my bucket list, between the jungles and the beautiful beaches.  Hubby quite honestly thought I was crazy when I first suggested it, but luckily hubby is willing to go with some of my crazy ideas!!

Our trip takes us from Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, to Chaing Mia, one of the northern providences, and then finally to Phuket, on of the southern islands.  This two week trip includes almost 4 days of travel between getting there and coming home, time changes, and all the little flights in between.  I can’t take credit for putting this one together.  Our awesome travel agent did it all.  We just told her Thailand and the island of Phuket, and she did the rest!!!